1) Awesome, congrats - I think my E46 M3 was maybe the most fun track car I've ever owned. Mine was full interior and full weight to boot

2) Do Rod bearings? - you're saying this car never had the recall? Or are people running into issues after extended mileage on the updated spec bearings? I saw the bearings that came out of my car and they were really clean, but my car wasn't tracked prior to the recall either.

3) You don't have to go crazy on the setup. the one you propose plus ground control bars is the ticket. Mine was even more simple and the car was still plenty fast and wicked fun to drive.

1) Awesome, congrats - I think my E46 M3 was maybe the most fun track car I've ever owned. Mine was full interior and full weight to boot

2) Do Rod bearings? - you're saying this car never had the recall? Or are people running into issues after extended mileage on the updated spec bearings? I saw the bearings that came out of my car and they were really clean, but my car wasn't tracked prior to the recall either.

3) You don't have to go crazy on the setup. the one you propose plus ground control bars is the ticket. Mine was even more simple and the car was still plenty fast and wicked fun to drive.

Rod bearings were done by the dealer at 56k, however I've read they should be replaced every 100k miles, or every two seasons for track cars, or every season for race cars. I'll do some more research. I think a set is $300, add in $ for bolts and the time to replace them, it might just be cheap insurance so I don't have to worry about it.

Yeah, I was looking into either a front Hotchkis or Ground Control sway bar as the only other real "mod". All the other work is either maintenance, weight loss, or seat/harness/bar. I'm thinking of sticking with the stock brakes as well, and running my DTC-60's for now. Thankfully the suspension and brakes from the 330i are the same.

Agreed on oil analysis. My first analysis had elevated lead and copper but by 3 points. Failing bearings will have 200 plus points. Don't know if you read about the rear reinforcement but plates may not be the end all solution. Lots of threads on m3forum about it. If mine isn't cracked, I may do the welded bar plus bolt method.

Can't you do an oil analysis before tearing into the bottom end? I would think you'd be ok for a while (1+ track seasons?).

Hopefully winter won't last too long so we can all get out and play soon. You've got a nice combo of E46's now. Congrats!

Thanks Aaron! I'm dd'ing it for now. The power is addicting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohio330ci

Agreed on oil analysis. My first analysis had elevated lead and copper but by 3 points. Failing bearings will have 200 plus points. Don't know if you read about the rear reinforcement but plates may not be the end all solution. Lots of threads on m3forum about it. If mine isn't cracked, I may do the welded bar plus bolt method.

Got a link to what you are planning? I've seen some guys use foam above the subframe, but honestly I was going to set the plates and forget about it. Might need more research on this too.

The car in the second link made 700whp, I don't think any amount of reinforcement plates would have helped that. I doubt the car was babied either.

Yeah hard launches and high horsepower is a bit different than normal track duty. Hoonter are you planning on using foam as well?

Of course once the subframe comes down, things might change. I was able to get underneath the car and poke around with a flash light, and all looked ok, but you don't really know until you pull everything out. I'm planning on doing solid diff mounts and poly subframe bushings while I have it down

Do you guys know if rear camber arms are needed? I'll probably need about 2-2.5 degrees camber out of the rears, not sure if the stock arms can go that high.

I haven't decided if I'm going to use foam or not. I'd like to add the extra protection but I'm not sure how much the gun costs and how hard it is to get one. I haven't looked into the foam too much. I will be putting in all new oem bushings too.

Nice pickup! As much as I love my E92 the E46 just pulls at my heart strings.

I'll throw in my vote for welded in subframe plates. It's a matter of when not if. "Structural Foam" would probably be fine for street use but I'd personally want the chassis tied up for track use. EAG does the service, they're very knowledgeable, experienced and they're reasonable. You're looking at sub $2k for subframe+solid bushings installed. But part of me doesn't want to support those guys

Nice pickup! As much as I love my E92 the E46 just pulls at my heart strings.

I'll throw in my vote for welded in subframe plates. It's a matter of when not if. "Structural Foam" would probably be fine for street use but I'd personally want the chassis tied up for track use. EAG does the service, they're very knowledgeable, experienced and they're reasonable. You're looking at sub $2k for subframe+solid bushings installed. But part of me doesn't want to support those guys

For the price I couldn't pass up upgrading HP on track! I've been looking at welding vs epoxy'ing, think I'll just glue them on. Bonding science is pretty advanced these days.

I was with you guys in bonding the plates until I started investigating a little further the mode of failure of the subframe mounting locations. I am now looking to put in a half cage in the rear to couple the 4 mounting points, two strut towers, and the trunk floor together.

Look at this video which illustrates why I no longer think bonding plates is the answer: VIDEO The outer skin that you would be bonding to is nothing more than a cover of the underlying structure. You need to secure the whole structure within the floor.

Do you know if EAG does custom cage work?

And let me know if any of you need help removing the subframe. If my schedule allows, I would love to make a trip to your location and help turn wrenches.

I found the structural foam on ecstuning, about $80, so I'll give that a shot as well.

McMahan in Akron is probably your best bet for a custom cage that ties in the subframe mounts with the rear strut points. I'm not sure who around Cinci/Dayton does cage work, but that's not an option for me - I need the trunk clearance to somehow fit an extra set of tires, a crate full of extra parts, and my overnight bag.

Check out this thread. It has several options for tying those points together. However, to your point, you will lose some trunk space with each. If you are going to track the car, why not lock it down with a partial cage and install a trailer hitch and tow what you need? My only concern is that I want to keep the rear seat.